1 Satan wanted to bring trouble on the people of Israel, so he made David decide to take a census.
2 David gave orders to Joab and the other officers, “Go through Israel, from one end of the country to the other, and count the people. I want to know how many there are.”
3 Joab answered, “May the Lord make the people of Israel a hundred times more numerous than they are now! Your Majesty, they are all your servants. Why do you want to do this and make the whole nation guilty?”
4 But the king made Joab obey the order. Joab went out, travelled through the whole country of Israel, and then returned to Jerusalem.
5 He reported to King David the total number of men capable of military service: 1,100,000 in Israel, and 470,000 in Judah.
6 Because Joab disapproved of the king's command, he did not take any census of the tribes of Levi and Benjamin.
7 God was displeased with what had been done, so he punished Israel.